While the crime is brutal, authorities are framing this as a swift justice victory, highlighting the multi-agency cooperation that led to the suspect's capture in under a week.
The internet is reeling from the detail that the baby's remains were found back at the victim's home, suggesting the killer tried to stage the scene or hide the evidence before fleeing.
Arrested Sept 30 in Clarksville, TN; Warrants issued for murder and kidnapping; Victim was 41 and pregnant.
This isn't just a murder; it's a grotesque violation of bodily autonomy that has left a community shaken and a family desperate for answers.
The details coming out of Pineville, Kentucky, are enough to stop your heart. April Barlow Celio, a 41-year-old pregnant woman, was found dead in her home on September 23, but it wasn't until the State Medical Examiner performed the autopsy that the full horror was revealed. Celio had been pregnant, and her unborn child had been removed from her womb.
This wasn't just a homicide; it was a targeted, violent extraction that left investigators with a scene straight out of a nightmare. The Pineville Police Department, working alongside the Bell County Coroner’s Office, confirmed the death was a homicide, but the motive remains a chilling mystery that has gripped the local community. Enter DeMarcus Kenneth Johnson-Wright, the suspect who allegedly fled the scene after committing the act.
The timeline of his arrest reads like a high-stakes manhunt. Just two days after Celio was found, a Bell County District Court judge issued warrants for Johnson-Wright on September 25 for first-degree robbery and kidnapping. But the charges escalated rapidly.
By September 30, two additional warrants were issued for suspicion of murder and tampering with physical evidence. Authorities had reason to believe Johnson-Wright was hiding out of state, prompting Kentucky officials to call in the U.S. Marshals Service for help.
It was a race against time that ended with Johnson-Wright being tracked down at a residence in Clarksville, Tennessee, over 250 miles away from where he allegedly killed Celio. What makes this case particularly disturbing is the connection between the suspect and the scene. After his arrest, authorities granted a search warrant for Johnson-Wright’s residence in Tennessee, where they recovered "materials relating to the case." But here is the kicker: local police, Bell County sheriff’s deputies, and Kentucky State Police returned to Celio’s home and found what they believed to be the baby’s remains.
This suggests that Johnson-Wright didn't just flee with the baby; he left the evidence behind, or perhaps dropped it, in a chaotic attempt to escape. Johnson-Wright was already living in Tennessee when Celio was killed and had existing warrants for aggravated robbery, kidnapping, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and domestic violence, painting a picture of a man with a long history of violence. Despite his arrest and current custody at the Montgomery County Detention Center awaiting extradition, critical questions remain unanswered.
The Pineville Police Department has not confirmed whether Johnson-Wright and Celio knew each other prior to the murder, nor have they detailed how authorities connected him to the crime. With no plea entered and no public confirmation of legal counsel, the family is left in limbo. Celio’s sister, Amanda de Paz, launched a GoFundMe to support Celio’s three surviving children, writing, "One moment she was here—someone we could call, hug, laugh with, and love—and now we are trying to figure out how to say goodbye to her far too soon." This tragedy underscores the fragility of safety for women, even in their own homes, and the relentless pursuit of justice that must follow such a brutal crime.
